Tile on basement floor

Howdy folks. I am contemplating a tile job on my basement floor - the floor is concrete and has been painted with latex floor paint - what would I have to do in order to get started? Pretty big job so I want to do it right the first time

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Tile on basement floor

I think you should choose a good type of tiles... my parents old house use have tiles on their basement.... the problems I experieced is those glossy sticky humid feeling.... wonder there are types of tiles which is suitable for this purpose and avoid the same thing....

Tile on basement floor

It's important to get the paint up. My manager did this on his front porch, which was previously painted. He used a product called Peel Away 1. It's a thick stripper you apply with a putty knife. Then you press the included paper into it and leave it for several hours. You come back and peel the paper up using a putty knife to scrape as you go and all the paint should adhere to the paper. It's suppose to strip up to 30 coats of paint.

Tile on basement floor

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarge

Did you use some form of stripper?

Yep... my paint was pretty old and flaking already so it wasn't very hard. I also got a long handled floor scraper so I didn't have to bend down and saved my back... It's also very heavy so it did most of the work.

Tile on basement floor

Tile on basement floor

Peel Away can get a little nasty but not too bad since it's almost a solid compound. There are products from a company called Back to Nature that are so friendly you can eat them but still strip the paint.

Tile on basement floor

It's not my intention to put the "pin to someones balloon", but one very important item has not been considered. Applying chemical strippers to a concrete slab can prove disastrous since the chemicals soak into the concrete and we don't know how the residue will react with the new thinset. The thinsets have chemicals in them as well. When I have asked the tech. dept., they said that there are many types of chemical strippers on the market with each having their own chemical formulation. The standard procedure is to scarify the slab.
I do know that if the floor is striped with chemicals and it reacts with the new thinset or adhesive, that the only thing left to keep the floor together is the 3Gs'. (God, Gravity, and Grout!) It seems to me if you are going to spend any amount of money on a project, why not do it right because if you can't afford to do it correct the first time, when will you be able to afford to correct it?

Tile on basement floor

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJC

It's not my intention to put the "pin to someones balloon", but one very important item has not been considered. Applying chemical strippers to a concrete slab can prove disastrous since the chemicals soak into the concrete and we don't know how the residue will react with the new thinset. The thinsets have chemicals in them as well. When I have asked the tech. dept., they said that there are many types of chemical strippers on the market with each having their own chemical formulation. The standard procedure is to scarify the slab.
I do know that if the floor is striped with chemicals and it reacts with the new thinset or adhesive, that the only thing left to keep the floor together is the 3Gs'. (God, Gravity, and Grout!) It seems to me if you are going to spend any amount of money on a project, why not do it right because if you can't afford to do it correct the first time, when will you be able to afford to correct it?

Jim, no pin in my balloon. I am listening - how would you propose I go about this if not with a stripper?

Tile on basement floor

Sarge, scarify the slab. rent a floor buffer (big 12 or 14" disc) sand paper discs and go to town. The other option is to blast track (shot blast) or diamond disc scarifier, but those are used mainly on commercial jobs. Like I said a floor buffing machine with heavy grit paper does the trick. When done, vacuum first and then mop the floor. Once dry, your ready to go. When a slab has a sealer on it , as most of them do, this is what you do. When completed, place water on the slab and it should soak in. Anytime water soaks in within a few minutes, it is OK to tile.

Tile on basement floor

The reason I recommend Peel Away is because it is not a liquid and does not penetrate into the concrete. It also has a spray with it that neutralizes any chemicals left. It's basically white vinegar. Regardless, I'll agree that a mechanical method is still better than chemical to completely eliminate any possibility of residue.

Tile on basement floor

You could also try another route like trafficmaster allure/konecto. Its like a tile, but does not stick to the floor. Its a floating floor to an extent. It requires no prep work to the floor. Just lay right over it.